The adventurers stood in the dark chamber, the air thick with the stench of rot and stagnant mana. The room’s walls had by now been turned into dead, writhing flesh. It was unnatural, but so was the existence of demons—especially one as strong as Harbinger.

The Six Harbingers. Creatures known for unimaginable cruelty who had lived for thousands of years. Besides the Demon Lord, they were the greatest beings to ever threaten humanity. So strong, and with such powers, that if one were to take the legends by their word, it was a miracle that humanity survived that era.

At the far end was one of them. Its claws dripped blood from its victims.

Its body was a patchwork of decaying flesh and bone, bound together by tendrils of dark energy. Where eyes should have been, two swirling red orbs flared with malice, locking onto the adventurers. The ground beneath it withered.

The spearman stepped forward, golden weapon in hand, its enchanted surface glinting brightly. He narrowed his eyes, keeping his posture steady despite the suffocating aura the creature emitted.

“There’s no way you were born in this dungeon… how did you get here,” he said, his voice firm. He leveled his spear, the weapon’s tip hovering dangerously close to the monster’s malformed skull.

There was a rare event, known as “Demon Influence”. It would happen at rare moments when demons would creep into a normal dungeon. It was rare enough that even seasoned adventurers would go their entire lives without experiencing it. Yet, it was known to be one of the most dangerous phenomena.

Now, the leader of the party had to figure out whether this was one of those situations or something more.

However, it could never be that easy.

The creature tilted its head, a low, guttural noise emanating from its twisted throat. “I am the Harbinger of Rot, and I’ll decay this world… ending life is my purpose…” it said, its voice ignoring the questions.

The adventurers tensed, weapons ready. The chamber itself seemed to react to the creature’s rising energy. The Harbinger raised its stick-like arms, dark energy crackling around it. The battle was about to begin.

“Get ready!” the leader shouted. “This thing isn’t going down without a fight!”

The battle that ensued was legendary. It stretched for what seemed like hours as both sides clashed at immense speeds. The Harbinger’s rotting effects were nullified by the best healer, its attacks blocked by the best shieldbearer, and its defenses pierced by the best spearman.

History had almost repeated itself thirty years. The last time a harbinger had been spotted, the adventurers weren’t so lucky.

This time, the triumph was achieved because the strongest adventurers were close by and dispatched to help the academy students survive, especially the princesses.

Had they not been here, this would have certainly turned into an unimaginable catastrophe. Perhaps a million innocent lives would have perished before the strongest fighters in Draac could be mobilized to deal with it.

Even after it was over, the leader of the party couldn’t help but have a bad feeling about this. Thiry years. Such a short amount of time between two of these events.

Was it a premonition?

When he was a kid, he remembered scholars saying that one day the seal would break and the terrors of the past would be unleashed on humanity once more.

He hoped this wasn’t the case.

That the seal of the demon realm was weakening.

----------------------------------------

Erik sat on his bed, his fingers excessively tapping the mattress, keeping him moving when thinking.

“I can’t believe this…” he thought, his hands gripping down, his knuckles turning white from the pressure.

His room was very silent now that he was alone. He hated this silence.

It had been a few days since the dungeon event. Seven students died, along with four others who got heavy injuries. Colin was one among them, his arm had been torn apart like paper by that beast.

‘It’s my fault,’ Erik told himself, clutching his knees close to his face. ‘I’m so fucking weak… it's all my fault,’ he kept blaming himself. If not for him, that wouldn’t have happened.

If he was stronger, he could’ve saved Kyle.

No.

It would be impossible. Margaret, the academy’s director, had personally seen all the affected. She told them it was no one’s fault but the academy for they didn’t see that this could happen. That monster was on par with S-rank bosses, even an army would struggle to conquer that.

Those words didn’t make him feel any better, however.

Erik hadn’t seen any of his friends since that day. He couldn’t face them, couldn’t face the horrors he made them go through.

Had he simply not wanted to go into that hell hole so much, they wouldn’t have gone through that.

Now, all he could do was sit in a corner, in silence.

And sob.

He had been doing so for days. It was something so rare to him, and yet it kept happening now.

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After what felt like hours, the lights that peered into the room from the window started to dim, shadows appearing in the corners, Erik got up, feeling shrivels across his skin.

The darkness. He didn’t like it a single bit.

He walked up to the window, looking outside. He could see students going on their lives, their faces happy as classes had been over for a while.

How could they feel like that when there were such monsters in this world? That’s all that was in his mind.

“I…” he bit his lip, drawing out blood as he still watched the outside. “I want to give up.”

Just as he uttered those words, a knock echoed through the room.

The sound reverberated in Erik’s skull.

‘That—’ the monster dragging its claws through the walls. Killing students. It’s here.’

The air thickened as if the creature’s foul presence seeped into the room. His gaze darted to the door, every muscle in his body screaming to move, to act.

He glanced at the window. He’d have to jump out. But… it was dark.

Erik swallowed, his breathing became erratic to the point he held his chest, his heart threatening to jump out.

He heard the knocks again, it brought him back to when the creature escaped the confines of the boss room.

His breathing got worse.

That’s when he felt the bitter taste of his stomach fluids creeping up his throat.

Then there was silence.

What could he even do now? Maybe if he was silent, he would be left alone.

Erik swallowed the imminent vomit and held his breath, his ears straining against the quiet, waiting for the door to explode inward, for the nightmare to come surging through.

But nothing happened.

Another knock followed—not the harsh, echoing crash he had braced for, but a gentle, almost apologetic tap.

The roaring storm of his thoughts stilled, the chaos retreating.

“Erik?” a voice called softly from the other side, muffled but familiar.

His body lumped, the tension draining as realization dawned. It wasn’t claws. It wasn’t the Harbinger. Just knuckles against wood.

“Aria?” he answered back after understanding it was her.

Without taking another moment, Erik moved to the door and opened it, seeing her face for the first time in days.

“Oh my god, you look horrible,” she said, her eyes widening as she took in his looks.

“I’m good, don’t worry.”

“No, shut up,” she said, grabbing his arm and intruding into his room, making him sit on the bed. “Are you okay? We are worried about you.”

He glanced at her. Why did she even care? They barely knew each other and had only been talking for the days leading up to the dungeon. They were just acquaintances, she should just leave him alone.

“I’m fine…” Erik said, as if the last few hours were but a thing of his imagination.

Aria’s sharp gaze didn’t waver. “You’re not fine,” she said flatly. Her nose wrinkled slightly and she got some distance. “You smell like you haven’t bathed in days, Erik. Your eyes are bloodshot… and you look like you’ve been dragged through a battlefield.”

Erik flinched, looking down at his hands, still trembling slightly. “Sorry,” he muttered. “I guess I’ve… been busy.”

“Busy?” she repeated, incredulous. “Doing what? Drowning in your misery?” She sighed, running a hand through her hair. “You need to take care of yourself. People care about you, you know.”

He shook his head, his lips pulling into a faint, humorless smile. “I’m surprised you’re even here. A princess like you shouldn’t bother with someone like me.”

She frowned slightly before sighing, her features softening.

“I’m sorry, I planned to tell you guys later… I just didn’t want to be treated differently. I don’t want people to see me like that, not here…” as she spoke, her gaze avoided facing him directly.

“It would have been fine, Emilia is a princess too and you see how it is with her.”

Aria chuckled as she reminded herself of that sleepy girl. “Yeah, you’re right. I didn’t even know she was a princess until the adventurers mentioned so.”

“Yeah,” Erik replied, his tone flat. “Guess she doesn’t look like one either, huh?”

Aria laughed softly, though her gaze lingered on Erik, her concern evident.

Erik shrugged. “Then maybe you don’t need to hide it so much. People here don’t care as much about your lineage, instead of who you are”

A flicker of something—pride, perhaps—crossed her face. “Maybe you’re right,” she said, her voice thoughtful. “But that still doesn’t mean you can sit here and rot, Erik. You’re better than this.”

He didn’t answer immediately, his gaze dropping to the floor. After a long moment, he sighed. “I’ll… think about it.”

Aria reached out, placing a gentle hand on his arm. “You don’t have to do this alone,” she said softly. “None of us do.”

“Just… let me do it in my own time,” he said slowly, looking at his knees, trying to find the words. He was happy deep down that she cared but forcing him wouldn’t do any good.

“Yeah, of course. By the way, do you want to go see Colin before he leaves?”

Erik widened, looking back at her. “What do you mean, leaves?”

“Oh,” she said, sounding surprised. “I thought you knew. He gave up on the school after losing his arm.”

Erik’s chest immediately started beating against his ribs. ‘What did she say?’

Erik and his Aria sprinted toward the academy gates. He watched as his friend got in a carriage, ready to depart.

"Colin!" Erik's voice rang out, desperate, but the boy didn’t turn. He sat down, rigid, his gaze fixed forward, as though acknowledging them would only make things worse.

Erik’s eyes welled up in tears. He couldn’t believe the consequences of his actions. He fell to the ground, hitting the cobblestone as he realized it was useless.

Regret burned in his chest, scorching, unbearable. "I'm sorry!" His voice cracked, the words spilling out. "I'm sorry for dragging you into that nightmare! For being too weak to stop it!"

Colin shifted at that, his gaze falling on Erik. His expression was cold, firm, and unreadable, though there was a clear feeling of sadness lingering on it.

For a moment, Erik thought he wouldn’t say anything. That he would leave without a word—because what could be said after everything?

But then, a small, almost imperceptible smile tugged at his lips.

"We’ll meet again, one day."

Then he was gone, disappearing behind the carriage door as the horses pulled away.

Erik remained frozen, his hands trembling at his sides. The bitter taste of failure clung to his tongue. He had wanted more—more time, more words, more of something that might make amends. But there was nothing left to say.

The only thing that remained was the road ahead, uncertain as ever.

It was a bittersweet moment. Not as much as a goodbye, but an uncertain promise.

At the very least, Erik had spoken the words that had weighed on his chest, even if they could never undo what had happened. Now, all he could do was turn forward and focus on what remained.

For Erik Blake, this was one of his darkest moments, a black spot cast in a world of light.

Yet, it was but the beginning of his fate.